Pope Francis is a man of the people

Although I am not a Catholic, I greatly admire our newest pope, Pope Francis, because more so than all the other popes, Pope Francis is out for the poor and the destitute.

Indeed, Pope Francis would rather have one spend his money on the poor than use it to visit him.

Our 266th pope, Pope Francis, formally Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was 76 years of age when he was elected pope, two years younger than his predecessor, Pope Benedict XV1, formally Joseph Ratzinger, but 18 years older than Pope John Paul 2, the predecessor of Benedict.

By the way, a new biography of Pope Francis (who took office on March 13, 2013) makes for informative reading. It’s titled “Pray for Me” by Robert Moynihan.

Yes, Pope Francis is out for the poor. In fact, he rides public transportation rather than being chauffeured! To him, all people matter.

Pope Francis is also a pope who enjoys having dialogue with other faiths, as “Pray for Me” points out.

At any rate, Pope Francis is the first pope from the Americas. In fact, he is the first pope from outside Europe.